Helping Great Life roll a strike

April 4, 2017

Alanna EggersDesigner

Collaboration comes naturally for me. In my work as a designer, I have my own inspirations and ideas for each project I undertake. I also recognize the value of listening and learning to the vision of my clients and partners and the elements that inform their aesthetic goals for a building.

In my opinion, Great Life’s Suburban Bowl could easily be the renovation of the year! You may recall that Suburban bowl, while a great place for fun, was outdated in a number of ways. Remember the wood paneling? There was plenty of it.

At the same time, there is an important heritage to Suburban Lanes and the role it has had in the Sioux Falls community for generations.

The vision for Great Life Suburban Lanes was to create a ‘throwback’ to include some of the original finishes and furniture into the vision for a cool new updated facility.

Businessman and community leader Tom Walsh has created a compelling Great Life brand, which also needed to be incorporated in the project.

Plenty of people I met though the project shared their childhood memories about their experiences at Suburban Bowl. They also made sure to tell me not to ruin the place!

On the contrary, I listened to their stories and helped dig up some Sioux Falls history. We found some incredible artifacts in the basement and used that as inspiration to create a large “throwback” mural.

These design details are near and dear to Walsh and his team. The Barrel snack bar was created to help bring back the “ice cream parlor” feel for families as they enjoy the recreation center. Suburban Bowl is quite an anomaly when it comes to bowling centers; the addition of golf simulators is a fresh concept on which we hope to see Great Life expand.

I could go on, as this was such a fun, fast-paced project. Now that it is finished, I am excited to see this revitalized space as a renewed locale for family fun for generations to come. Great Life makes the promise, “to enrich the lives of families and individuals through golf, fitness and healthy lifestyles.” It has hit the mark with Suburban Bowl!